


Psychopath Sitting Next To You

by blurryjace



Category: BLURRYFACE - Twenty One Pilots (Album), Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: 21p, Character Death, Death, Hallucinations, Heathens, Heathens au, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mental Illness, Prison AU, Top - Freeform, tw all listed i guess, twenty one pilots - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-07-16 18:27:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7279174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blurryjace/pseuds/blurryjace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tyler Joseph had never done anything even remotely bad to others in his life until now. Even so, this wasn't actually him. It was his other self: Blurryface. But it was Tyler's hands that killed people, regardless of who was controlling them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Newcomers Have A Certain Smell

**Author's Note:**

> New Heathens au I mentioned in my other Joshler fic. Hope you all enjoy this!  
> (orphaned work now bc I'm not into Joshler anymore whoops sorry. no more updates for this bye)

Tyler Robert Joseph  
Male. 27 years old. 5’10.  
Brown eyes. Brown hair.

Sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder.

Tyler Joseph wasn’t guilty. He wasn’t innocent but he wasn’t guilty. Blurryface was. Maybe he could have gotten a lesser sentence if he had claimed insanity by talking about Blurry’s existence. Maybe he could have gotten some “help”.

Even though his lawyer practically begged him, Tyler refused to do so. He had gotten professional help and tons of meds before. They only staved off Blurry for a while but afterward, when Blurry came back, he was stronger than ever. Worse than before. It never stopped Blurry. It never stopped his voice. It never stopped the hallucinations. Nothing ever stopped.

Tyler knew he hadn’t killed anyone, he knew Blurry was the one who did it. But he was scared of himself. Scared that Blurry would do it again.

Tyler didn’t remember much of it. A singular gunshot followed by pure silence, lots of blood, sirens a few minutes after, and then nothing. When Tyler regained control of his body, the police had already been called and he was already detained. Although scared and confused, there was no doubt in his mind he’d done something more terrible than he thought possible. He just couldn’t remember what.

Knowing this, he had tried to take the innocent plea for a portion of the court dates. But he soon pled guilty, accepting that even if he wasn’t a danger to others Blurry was. He couldn’t risk it anymore. He couldn’t live free knowing what he had done.

_______

Tyler wasn’t a free man anymore and that wasn’t really sinking in. Not until he was being walked down the halls in his bright orange suit with inmates shouting disgusting terrifying things at him. What they couldn’t wait to do to him once the guards were gone, how he’d have to watch himself, how they’d show him how things work around here, being called fresh fish. All of it forcing him fight back the anxiety that threatened to tighten around his throat.

As he walked down various corridors, he avoided looking at the inmates faces. He already knew the halls were lined with everything from murders, psychopaths, and rapists to drug dealers and people who committed insurance fraud. Anyone who saw the trial assumed Tyler fell under only one of those categories but if they wanted to really get technical about who was in what category; Blurry fell under the “murder” category while Tyler fell under “psychopath”.

When he walked into his cell, he kept his eyes down and focused on the gray floor as he heard the click of the cell being locked. He only lifted his head when he heard someone in the cell say something. When he looked up, he was greeted with a cold intimidating metal bunk bed with an overused mattress covered in stiff sheets and ever so kindly decorating with a plain white rock hard pillow as expected. But when he looked to the top bunk he saw another person. Another man with brown curly hair that was shaved into a mohawk. He stared at Tyler with a small smirk on his face as he waited for the answer to a question Tyler didn’t quite catch.

“Well?” his voice sounded again as he laid on his stomach on the top bunk, his brown eyes only focusing on Tyler.

“I’m sorry, what did you ask?”

“That nervous, huh? It’s okay. I said what job did they assign you?” He asked before swinging his legs over the edge of his bed and jumping down.

“Oh,” Tyler stopped, taking a deep breath to try and hide the tremor in his voice, “Laundry. Janitor stuff too sometimes.”

“Me too! It’s one of the easiest jobs so you got lucky.”

Tyler nodded quietly before he sat down on his bed. His cellmate stared at him for a moment as he leaned his back against the cell door, trying to observe Tyler’s behavior. To him, Tyler was such a timid quiet guy. Nothing like the brash burly guys that normally come in. His cellmate broke the silence once more.

“I’m Josh by the way.”

“I’m Ty-”

“Tyler. I know. I heard about you long before you arrived. Didn’t know we’d be cellmates till a few days ago”

Tyler made a face in confusion, pulling a small laugh out of Josh. Tyler would have laughed too, had his anxiety not been making him feel nauseous and slightly dizzy.

“It sounds weird I know. Your trial was all over the news though and they allow us to have TVs or radios so we don’t go completely crazy with boredom. Bored prisoners equal constant riots.”

Tyler once again nodded quietly. It made sense but it worried him.

“Does that mean I have a reputation here already?”

Josh shrugged, “Depends on the inmates. Some of them will fear you, some of them will want to challenge you to prove they’re stronger, some will want you to join their gang.”

“Are you in any gangs?”

“Nope. Never saw a need to join one. I just stay low and don’t talk to anyone. I’ve got my personal tv and the top bunk. What else do I need?”

“I’ve always wondered if prison food was any good. Never thought I’d actually get to find out first hand. Do you like the food here?”

“I mean it’s not as bad as I assumed it’d be.”

Josh worded his response in a way that suggested he’d been here a while and also that the food was indeed not all that great. But what could Tyler expect? It was prison after all. The term “prison food” was an insult to normal food for a reason.

“How long have you been here?” Tyler’s voice gaining some confidence. His cellmate was decently talkative and although a little awkward and unaware of social cues, he was making Tyler a little more comfortable.

Josh shrugged, “Who knows? Time is just a concept. Especially when you’ve got a life sentence like you do, buddy. No sense in counting the days.”

Not noticing Josh had evaded the question, Tyler focused on the dreadful fact he’d been avoiding. His life sentence. He’d never get out of here. Tyler let out a shaky sigh, his anxiety picking up again.

“Don’t worry. It’s terrible here but it’s not like you’re alone here.”

“Well, I assume since we are cellmates we are obligated to get along.”

“Obligatory friends are the best ones. They can never leave. Unless I decide to try and stab you and get sent into isolation. Sorry in advance.”

For the first time since he stepped into this prison, Tyler laughed. Maybe it was a nervous laugh, maybe it was because Josh had a sense of humor (even if it was a dark one). Josh was scary in a way but something about him was easy to get used to.

Tyler wasn’t calm by any means and truthfully he had no clue what godly entity he royally pissed off to land himself here but it seemed like it could maybe be bearable for a month or two with his cellmate. Given he could have ended up with one of the guys who said he “couldn’t wait to see Tyler in the showers”, Josh was already a way better cellmate than expected.

Tyler didn’t think he’d survive long in here, whether his death came from a fellow inmate or by his own hands but he had already appreciated having experienced a genuinely decent welcome.

The prison was no paradise obviously but maybe there were some parts of it that could have been worse. Besides having an easy job according to Josh, he’d at least have one person to talk to and keep himself from boredom. Like Josh said, bored prisoners result in riots nonstop. In that case, Tyler hoped he was interesting enough for Josh or else Josh might just end up stabbing him in the back. Literally and figuratively.

Even with a decent cellmate, prison scared Tyler. The people scared Tyler. Upon realizing he himself was now a part of “the people”, Tyler realized something. Sure, his new environment scared him as did the people inhabiting it. Sure, the thought of riots scared him to his very core. Sure, the thought of being killed by his cellmate (even if mentioned jokingly) was scary. But he'd realized that he was in here for something he did. He did this to himself.

  
He was absolutely _terrified_ of himself and what he was capable of doing. 


	2. You Don't Know The Half of The Abuse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **implied rape tw**  
> Tyler has no other options. He has to learn how to protect himself. But he doesn't know if he can.  
> And he doesn't know if he can explain why he can't either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is,, worrisome for me to post. It does deal with sexual assault/rape and if that makes you uncomfortable, I can just tell you this chapter Josh tells Tyler he has to learn how to defend himself. That's it really.
> 
> This update is also extremely short and I apologize but I went back to school a while ago and as a senior in high school, I'm incredibly busy so anytime I can write I will but keep in mind it's very scarce!  
> Regardless, thank you for reading!!

Within the first few weeks, Tyler had already been physically touched by men he didn’t even know. The assault never got further than an aggressive grope but he was sure that’d change soon. It almost did that night. Tyler was on the verge of tears as a man he’d only encountered twice before came to stand uncomfortably close to Tyler. He had begun to whisper something to Ty before the guards announced it was time to go back to their cells. Tyler knew he couldn’t be saved every time, though. It was just a matter of time. It was bound to happen eventually.

 

  
And it did.

 

  
After Tyler finished his night shower, he returned to his cell. He walked in quietly and slowly crawled into the bottom bunk. His legs shook, barely managing to hold his body's weight as he struggled to settle into the poor excuse of a bed but he managed. Josh -who was laying down on his top bunk -heard him enter and was taken back by the silence that he was met with. Tyler seemed relatively friendly for a murderer, especially when he began to grow comfortable around Josh little by little. So when he entered the cell with not even as much as a glance, Josh noticed immediately.

 

  
Closing his book and placing it next to him, Josh sat up and said, “Well good evening to you too.”

 

  
Josh let out a small laugh, obviously attempting to lighten the mood. The silence remained unbroken. It took all of Tyler’s strength to readjust himself, he was then on his side staring at the sickly gray wall. Josh pouted and tried again, “The silent treatment? Y’know, being rude is what makes enemies.”

 

  
Tyler mumbled something quickly, Josh not quite catching it.

 

  
Given he’d only known Tyler for a short period of time but this was kind of behavior was out of character for any typical person and Josh liked to think he kind of knew Tyler at this point. Tyler had smiled a few times while he was in here with Josh and he’d at least humor Josh with a little conversation sometimes but tonight was off. Different.

 

  
Trying not to make too much noise, Josh readjusted himself so that he was laying on his stomach and looked over the side of his bunk, his eyes falling upon Tyler’s back. Tyler’s silhouette, dimly lit by hall lights, visibly shook. It wasn’t some minor shaking like how Tyler’s hands typically are. Josh noticed Ty was an overall nervous guy but considering he was a newbie in one of the most notorious prisons, it made sense. But this shaking was somehow worse, clearly not the normal understandable shaking. Tyler knew it too. If he had more strength, he’d will himself to at least try and stifle his body’s tremors.

 

  
 As soon as Josh saw his cellmates condition, his concern spiked. His voice was softer and more gentle when he asked Tyler, “Are you alright?”

 

 

Josh’s question was somewhat rhetorical, he knew the answer already. Tyler resorted to silence once more.

 

  
Josh wanted to help his new friend. Prison was a scary place, even for someone like Tyler. Josh realized Ty may not have been in the best condition to talk at that moment and waited until the cells doors closed for the night.

 

  
The guards lazily patrolled the seemingly endless halls, Josh quietly rolled over and pushed himself off of his bunk, landing on his feet with a soft thud. Although minor, the sudden noise made Ty flinch. Josh, not noticing, leaned against the concrete wall. Once again, he found himself staring at Tyler’s outline, focusing on how it shivered. The weak shadows the lights cast on the wall Tyler was facing shook with him in unison. Josh alternated from staring at the shadow and at Tyler himself.

 

  
Josh’s voice was impossibly quieter than before when he whispered, “Tyler?”

 

He wasn’t surprised when he was met with silence again. Tyler only shifted slightly so he could see Josh out of the corner of his eyes. If Ty wasn’t so emotionally exhausted at that moment, he would think his cellmate looked almost beautiful in this light. The same weak shadows Josh had noticed caught Tyler’s eye too. Josh’s cheeks caved in just below his cheekbones, his jawline casting an onto his neck, his eyes looked slightly sunken in from the lack of sleep. Tyler took all of this in without looking at Josh directly. He wished he could appreciate the sight more but was scared Josh would notice the tears threatening to fall. He willed them to stay there although they stung.

 

  
Josh accepted the small acknowledgment and repeated his question from earlier.

 

  
“Are you okay?”

 

  
Tyler shrugged. He wasn’t sure in all honesty. He wasn’t doing that great obviously but he had calmed down ever so slightly. He sat up in his bed, still shaking but now had enough energy to try and hide it. He scooted back so he could rest against the wall opposite of Josh.

 

  
“Was it something someone said?”

 

Tyler brought his knees to his chest and shook his head slowly. Not that Josh was wrong, it had been partly verbal but there was so much more.

 

  
“Something someone did?”

 

The tears desperately clung to his waterline as he mentally begged himself to not cry. If anyone saw him cry, he’d be seen as weak and easy to get. He hesitated before giving a quick nod. Josh already knew what it was, or at least had a good idea. He felt his anger rise within him. He dug into the waistband of his pants, pulling out a box of cigarettes. He took one out and fiddled with it, spinning it between his fingers. The deep breathing exercises could only calm him down so much, he typically turned to cigarettes from time to time. He let out a low growl when he realized he’d lost his lighter. He stared at the unlit cigarette, the lack of nicotine left his temper still building.

 

“Who?”

 

When he was answered with only a shrug, Josh’s jaw clenched as he bit back words of annoyance. He was so close to snapping but reminded himself of the situation, reminded himself it wasn’t the other’s fault. It wasn’t Tyler he was angry at.

 

“Any names? Any faces you might recognize?”

 

Tyler’s meager voice quivered as he spoke for the first time within that conversation, “Faces? Maybe. Names? I...I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.”

 

Tyler had more to say, so many words threatened to spill out at once but he felt the tears running down his cheeks. And what started as a few tears quickly evolved into violent sobs wracking through his entire body. He sniffled, hiccuped, coughed and buried his face into his knees.

 

  
The truth was Tyler knew at least one of the inmate's first name and could probably get more information if he needed it but he didn’t want that information.  As far as he knew, snitching would just worsen the situation. So it was either say nothing and let this happen again or say something and risk something worse happening. Both outcomes absolutely terrified both of the boys. Josh knew this too, knew that both of their options weren’t exactly favorable but hearing Tyler talk, hearing the anxiety drip from each syllable of every word, hearing Tyler say names instead of name implying there were multiple people involved…. Josh didn’t know how to react. His cigarette ceased it’s twirling between his pointer finger and his middle finger. It slid down into his palm and was crushed as he balled up his fist.

 

 

Josh wanted to ask how it happened. how did they all get to Tyler without any guards noticing? Why hadn’t  Josh been there to even try to help? It was an unfair fight and even if Tyler was in this prison for some pretty terrible things, Josh couldn’t bring himself to think that this shy and timid person deserved what happened to him.

 

  
Josh tried to breathe deeper, in attempts to calm himself down faster. A few minutes passed, every silent second made Tyler think he had upset Josh even though that wasn’t the case at all. He felt his heart rate slowly normalize as he stopped grinding his teeth together and unclenched his fists, letting the now destroyed cigarette fall to the floor. Tyler watched it fall to the floor, not sure of what to do or how to help. He could see Josh was beyond upset but was still trying to figure out if it was because of him or because of something else. Josh sighed, avoiding looking at Tyler.

 

“You’ll need to learn how to fight back.”

 

“N-No, I can’t, Josh. I can’t-”

 

  
“Tyler, listen to me.”

 

“Nononono, please. Please don’t make me. Please d-don’t”

 

  
Tyler’s voice rose as he tried to argue but he quickly realized he had to remain quiet. As soon as Josh suggested fighting, he felt all his anxiety come rushing back to him, causing him to stutter and sob through his protests.

 

“You don’t have to do anything major. Just enough to make them leave you alone.”

 

“Josh, please. I c-can’t do that.”

 

“You can use the time you have in the yard to train and work out. We can start tomorrow.”

 

“You don’t understand. You’re not l-listening. I can’t. I couldn’t even if I-I wanted to. Please, Josh. P-Plea-”

 

“Goodnight, Tyler.”

 

Josh climbed back into his bunk, cutting Tyler’s pleas short. He really didn’t want to hear it. It was either that or Tyler goes through this at least once a day. The latter wasn’t something either of them wanted. But Tyler knew he couldn’t fight back. He needed to find a way to tell Josh why without Josh thinking he was a psychopath.

 

  
Both boys tried their best to get a little bit of sleep but all attempts were made in vain.

 

  
Josh’s insomnia was fueled by his worry as Tyler’s barely audible cries were the only other sound besides the white noise of prisons sounds he was used to. He struggled to keep listening to it. He wanted to help so badly but the only way to really help Tyler was to teach him how to defend himself better. Even if it scared Tyler, he had to realize it was necessary.

 

Tomorrow they’d try this again. Tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thank you for reading and I'm so so sorry this is such a short update. It was only 5 pages on google docs and I usually post 11 page updates but like I said before, my schedule is not as free as it used to be and I am deeply sorry for that. I also am juggling this fic and my other joshler fic so understand updates for your favourite of the two will be slow. But you can read both and get updates in-between waiting for the other!! :3c
> 
> I also am sorry if any of this is cliché or inaccurate. I'm using a specific source for all my prison stuff and I just hope I don't sound like a complete moron when I talk about prison stuff. 
> 
> Any and all mistakes are mine and if you could point them out to me, I'd be happy to fix them!! Kudos are appreciated and comments are adored. As always, stay stellar!!

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all mistakes are mine. If there are any, please do tell me so I can fix them. I apologize for the mistakes, I was in a rush to post this as soon as I could. 
> 
> Anyway yeah!! Here it is!! Depending on the response to this fic, if it's super positive I will most likely update both this one and my other Joshler fic simultaneously. However, if the response is minimal I will leave this one until I am done with my other one. That being said giving me kudos does help but comments help me so much more!!  
> Leave me a comment telling me if you want me to keep updating this one regularly or if you want to me to finish my other Joshler fic first!!  
> If you haven't read the other one, please check it out by going to my profile and viewing my works.
> 
> So yes! Please comment with your thoughts and thank you for reading!!  
> Stay stellar, friends~


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